The roads are wide ... and straight ... and it's a fer piece between towns. If you don't drive fast out here, the calendar is libel to change between when you leave for work and the time you arrive.
And nothing is more annoying to your forward progress than those annoying speed bumps highway engineers lay down to snap your attention away from cell phones & talk radio to road hazards & pedestrian safety. They rip the steering wheel from your grasp or can give you a concussion if you fail to brake properly before bouncing over the berm-sized speed bumps senior citizens diabolically have constructed in residential areas.Life tends to throw mammoth speed bumps at us as well; Some we see the sign warning us of their approach. We can prepare our self, ... slow down ... swerve to the opposite lane ... adjust to the obstacle or hazard.
Others come at the bend of a curve, loom menacing over us, and bring life to a standstill.Having been a Christ-follower for more than fifty years, I've struggled with a tension between the belief I should be exempt from some of life's speed bumps and the reality I'm not exempt as a member of the human race. Somehow, God is not holding up His end of the partnership.
As Hamlet said in his soliloquy, "ay, there's the rub..."
Entering adulthood, I chose a "Christian" service profession. I thought being in God's service should please Him and at least cut me some slack, a pass as it were, on some of the tougher things of life…like pain, money troubles, divorce.
God was the assistant to my life,..as it were, a means to an end, rather than the End itself. God never intended our relationship to be a partnership. He is doesn't want to be my Co-Pilot. His expectations are higher. But He will not force the wheel from my grasp.
God was the assistant to my life,..as it were, a means to an end, rather than the End itself. God never intended our relationship to be a partnership. He is doesn't want to be my Co-Pilot. His expectations are higher. But He will not force the wheel from my grasp.
That's why some of the biggest speed bumps...
It takes a speed bump to bring out what's inside of me,... what needs to be arranged.
I was intrigued recently by what one Christian-follower said he felt God was asking him to give up in his life during such a speed bump experience. (*) It wasn't a specific Scriptural lifestyle condemnation of it, but, as this writer put it, "exhausted and frazzled from the day, I'd turn to it as a sort of refuge and relief, a way to find peace."
"I began to see it as reaching for joy--joy in a bottle, joy within my grasp."
This introspection came during one of life's speed bumps. His active, outdoor summer with his kids was came to a screeching halt after a horse riding accident left him with both arms in casts for almost three months. Agenda Interruptus is often the tool God's Spirit will use to gain the ear of busy, driven Christ-followers.
It took a lot of nerve for this leader to be that honest. Reaching for happiness is something most Church folk would say is what the "world folk" are doing. How easy to pluck a Scripture verse like
It took a lot of nerve for this leader to be that honest. Reaching for happiness is something most Church folk would say is what the "world folk" are doing. How easy to pluck a Scripture verse like
Psalm 4:6 "Why is everyone hungry for more? "More, more," they say. "More, more."
I have God's more-than-enough, More joy in one ordinary day."
And yet, when the pressure is on, when life doesn’t work, children stagger, health fails, pain flares, Heaven is silent,…where do these Church goers reach for joy?
For some, it was the comfort of food. Others anesthetize with alcohol or drugs. Still others choose the womb of sleep. I've watched many who try maintianing the adrenalin high of caffeine and stimulants. This was a hard question for me. It was easier to point fingers at those around me.
My Agenda Interruptus? A pituitary tumor the size of a golf ball.
So, during this time of recovery, my life-pace has slowed. Neurosurgery can result in thoughts of second chances and priority re-alignment.
My reach for joy? The fantasy world of fiction mystery & suspense books and television.
My justification? I live in a world that isn't often fair, fun or just. It's good to watch a movie where justice wins in an hour. A book where I can figure out what is going on and have all the answers explained…all the better if the author is a Christian.
But…..
As the chapter is done…
When the cover is closed…
Or the credits roll…
And the colors crackle into those single dots…there is the emptiness.
For some, it was the comfort of food. Others anesthetize with alcohol or drugs. Still others choose the womb of sleep. I've watched many who try maintianing the adrenalin high of caffeine and stimulants. This was a hard question for me. It was easier to point fingers at those around me.
My Agenda Interruptus? A pituitary tumor the size of a golf ball.
So, during this time of recovery, my life-pace has slowed. Neurosurgery can result in thoughts of second chances and priority re-alignment.
My reach for joy? The fantasy world of fiction mystery & suspense books and television.
My justification? I live in a world that isn't often fair, fun or just. It's good to watch a movie where justice wins in an hour. A book where I can figure out what is going on and have all the answers explained…all the better if the author is a Christian.
But…..
As the chapter is done…
When the cover is closed…
Or the credits roll…And the colors crackle into those single dots…there is the emptiness.
I'm reminded once again T-V is an acronym for Time Vampire!
As a Christ-follower, my soul and spirit is longing for something deeper, more fulfilling. The "Disciple whom Jesus loved" put it this way, "We saw it, we heard it, and now we're telling you so you can experience it along with us, this experience of communion with the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ. Our motive for writing is simply this: We want you to enjoy this, too. Your joy will double our joy!" 1 John 1:34 (The Message)
For me, a crucial part of the joy I seek is the relief that peace brings. The writer said he'd reach for his joy "...as a sort of refuge and relief, a way to find peace."
Unless one lives alone, it is sometimes difficult to find peace in the normal household. Each person within the walls of a home has ever-evolving needs for affirmation and love. The deeper the need for love, the greater the grasping for joys…the more intense the feelings of isolation if genuine peace and joy go unfulfilled.
Jesus Christ said "Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid," in John 14:27. "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world gives, give I unto you." (King James Version)
However, I am learning His peace isn't a good competitor with what I often consider high-value agendas. Peace is too gentle to partner with Religion or Pride or Self-Righteousness. It withers in the face of busyness, worry, and entertainment.
The good news…the REALLY good news is..."Are you tired? Worn out?
As a Christ-follower, my soul and spirit is longing for something deeper, more fulfilling. The "Disciple whom Jesus loved" put it this way, "We saw it, we heard it, and now we're telling you so you can experience it along with us, this experience of communion with the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ. Our motive for writing is simply this: We want you to enjoy this, too. Your joy will double our joy!" 1 John 1:34 (The Message)
For me, a crucial part of the joy I seek is the relief that peace brings. The writer said he'd reach for his joy "...as a sort of refuge and relief, a way to find peace."
Unless one lives alone, it is sometimes difficult to find peace in the normal household. Each person within the walls of a home has ever-evolving needs for affirmation and love. The deeper the need for love, the greater the grasping for joys…the more intense the feelings of isolation if genuine peace and joy go unfulfilled.
Jesus Christ said "Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid," in John 14:27. "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world gives, give I unto you." (King James Version)
However, I am learning His peace isn't a good competitor with what I often consider high-value agendas. Peace is too gentle to partner with Religion or Pride or Self-Righteousness. It withers in the face of busyness, worry, and entertainment.
The good news…the REALLY good news is..."Are you tired? Worn out?
Burned out on religion?" Jesus says, "Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly." Matthew 11:28-30 (The Message)
That's worth reaching for.
That's worth reaching for.
(*) The above quotes taken from Jon Eldgredge's Walking With God, Thomas Nelson Publisher, 2008
2 comments:
David,
I was in need of this today. After my husband's recent job elimination and the fact that I have not returned to work since our relocation, I've had to pull in the reins on my "forward thinking" and learn to look at life on a one day at a time basis. It has been my "agenda interruptus." And it is slowly, ever so slowly, helping me to learn to let go and let God in a way that I've never done in my entire life. In our family, we have been truly fortunate to be relatively unscathed by cancer and many of the illnesses that cause families to suffer. This new challenge, the knowledge that we do not have a reliable income to keep our family secure after so much upheaval with relocating 600 miles from their lifelong home has been humbling. We know we are not in control and that we can only find peace when we accept that. I figure it's like trying to open a combination lock in a hurry. If you spin too fast and the numbers don't line up correctly, you can tug all you want, but the lock won't open. Sometimes, you just have to slow down to get it right.
I am humbled that my thoughts came at the right moment. It was indeed that of the Lord.
My wife and I are praying, as we understand the stress that it places on the marriage and family,...yet Daddy God knows these things. And I don't say that lightly. Whatever direction He is moving, take it one day at a time, and be prepared to move or STAY. Make this the time where you LISTEN. He will give you the revelation knowledge that you need. He will not forsake, though He may only lead one day, one hour, one moment at a time.
You are not alone!
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